


And Out Of Luck

by CrazyCatMeow



Series: The Meteor Effect [5]
Category: Hermitcraft
Genre: Creeper Doc, Creeper Python, Gen, Non-human hermits - Freeform, Slime Jevin, little bit of mystery, still don’t know how to tag
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-12
Updated: 2020-03-08
Packaged: 2021-02-28 01:07:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 4,313
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22685221
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CrazyCatMeow/pseuds/CrazyCatMeow
Summary: Xisuma and Scar call Python, Doc, and Jevin to the shopping district to ask them a few questions. They uncover a few things and raise even more questions.
Relationships: Don’t ship real people, Family - Relationship
Series: The Meteor Effect [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1529078
Comments: 57
Kudos: 241





	1. Creeper Tails

**Author's Note:**

> Title from the song Sinners by Barns Courtney. Please enjoy.

“You three are here because you’re the only ones that weren’t human when this started. I just need to know if any of you have noticed any changes,” Scar says from his perch on Xisuma’s head who after a few weeks has managed to stop knocking things, and people over with his tail. Which is a good thing because in the shopping district where they were meeting there are lots of things that can get knocked over.

Doc, Jevin, and Python look at each other and back at Xisuma and Scar with confused expressions.

“We want to know what kinds of instincts are normal and what are just showing up,” Xisuma clarifies, and with a pointed stare, “Doc why don’t you start us off.”

“Well... I can’t get out of this can I?” Doc asks looking up at Scar who shakes his head. “Fine, it’s like the instincts of creepers just show up randomly. They’re mostly like plants or reptiles so thermoregulation has been impossible, I don’t really feel cold but, if I get too cold I’ll slow down and try to be as much in the sun as possible. I’ve been getting more stressed out and anxious lately, so I’ve hissed at almost everyone, I had completely stopped hissing before the meteor happened.”

After it was clear that Doc was done talking, Python takes a breath then goes on to explain what’s been happening to him. “It’s mostly the same for me, I don’t want to do anything besides bask on one of my towers... And I smell with my tongue,” As he says this he flicks his tongue out as if to show what he meant.

“And, that’s not normal?” Scar asks a bit confused as he hasn’t spent much time with the red creeper and was unsure about how he functions.

Python shakes his head before continuing. “It’s like my brain is being reset to a more, snake-like way of thinking and acting.”

“For me, it’s a bit different, it’s not like I’m getting more like a slime, instinct or behavior-wise,” Jevin starts as he slowly melts part of his hand, “It’s just way too easy to reform my slime, a few weeks ago a small slime snuck up on me and just disappeared. I think I may have absorbed it. If I did, I might be able to get absorbed by a different bigger slime,”

……….

As Scar And Xisuma take a moment to talk about what to do, Xisuma suddenly flings himself around as a horrifying hiss fills the air. Doc’s staring directly at Python who’s slowly backing away hands out in front trying to calm the other creeper. 

“Doc! What are you doing!” Xisuma yells hand at his belt ready to defend his other friends if he needs to, he wouldn’t hurt Doc of course but if he needs something in between himself and a creeper, it’s a sword.

“X, stop,” Python says slowly dropping to the ground, “He’s in pain and confused,”

“How would you know that?” Scar asks as he floats down to rejoin the group.

“I’m still part creeper just different subspecies,”

“Ok, Python I want more on that later, what’s he saying?” Xisuma asks, taking his hands off his sword belt.

“Um, it’s not so much ‘saying’ as conveying different emotions. Most creeper hissing is excitement or fear. From Doc it sounds like, I’m hurt and why.”

“Can you talk to him?” Xisuma asks as he sits down across from Python. “Try to calm him down enough to talk.”

“Maybe? Red creepers don’t hiss as loud it’s almost like a different dialect,” After saying this Python lets out a far less terrifying hiss that means something like, the danger is gone, and safety.

As Doc slowly stopped panicking and he simply lay basking in the sun eventually falling asleep. Scar takes off to take a look at the readings from the meteor, promising to be back soon.

“Python? Explain what you mean by different subspecies?” Xisuma asks as they wait for Scar to get back. Jevin nods in agreement.

“Well red creepers aren’t as aggressive as the green ones, they are normally hidden underground so they’re more likely to just run away instead of fighting, they don’t explode either. The green creepers are more like lizards, and the red ones are more snake-like, they tend to not have legs,” Python explains.

“You have legs,” Jevin says blankly.

“I got captured and was experimented on,” Python says ultimately ending the conversation.

……………..

“What happened?” Doc asks as he rubs his head.

“It looks like your the next one the meteor’s affecting,” Scar starts then stops, “It looks like your creeper side is becoming much more prominent.”

“What do you mean?” Doc asks blinking a few times.

“You’ve got a small creeper tail,” Xisuma answers as he flicks his tail to the side.

Doc with a very confused expression looks behind himself to try and see the short tail. “This is… interesting. I know its there but, nothing feels off,”

“What does it feel like?” Xisuma asks a bit confused.

“It feels normal, like it’s supposed to be there,”

“Is it supposed to be there?” Jevin questions sitting on the ground next to Python.

“Well, I suppose so, Creepers do have tails, but you don’t normally see them on adult creepers,” Doc explains as he rubs the new tail.

“Baby creepers have tails?” Scar whispers in disbelief.

“They actually look a bit like green fuzzy cats, without the ears or whiskers. They also have ridiculously long necks that are so stinking cute,” Python cuts in before Doc can give an answer.

“Sometimes a creeper won’t lose their tail, it’s pretty rare and I don’t know if I would have had one,” Doc finishes looking a bit mortified as Scar was on a wall mouthing creeper cats over and over. 

“I have one more question for now,” Xisuma starts. “Can you explode?”

Doc inhales sharply then slowly exhales, “Currently, no, if the meteor continues giving me the parts that got removed, maybe,” 


	2. Lab Rats... Lab Creepers?

The following silence was deafening. Python moves back a little dragging a rather confused Jevin with him, giving Xisuma and Doc a bit of space to talk. Scar had flown off to get Ren so he could help his friend.

“Doc, what are you saying?” Xisuma asks slowly kneeling next to Doc.

Doc, still in the process of realizing what he said, freezes before relenting and explaining what had happened, “When I was little, I got captured and was taken away from my home. I had wondered just a little too far and paid the price. The people who took me did horrible experiments, they reconstructed my body, spliced my DNA with human DNA,took my arm and eye, replacing them with metal. The worst thing they did was put a circuit board in my head that makes me think like a human,”

Python carefully makes his way towards Doc, and hugs him, as Xisuma sits a bit stunned.

“What do you mean, Think like a human?” Jevin questions as he guides everyone into his house for some privacy.

“That probably was poor word choice,” Doc chuckles weakly, “It, I don’t know. Gave me a brain boost? But whatever they did it got rid of survival instincts. So when I managed to escape I almost died…” Doc trails off, then picks back up, “I wasn’t recognized as a creeper and they saw me as a threat, I think you can guess what happened.”

The group sits in silence for a few minutes until Python speaks, “You said you were captured as a little kid right? What if the meteors trying to fix what they did to you,”

Jevin’s eyes widen, “Like fix his instincts?”

Python nods as he stretches out in front of the fireplace flicking his tongue out tasting the air, then looks towards Xisuma who despite his now rather menacing appearance looks absolutely shocked. His tail had stopped moving and was laying on the floor, and his eyes were wide as he decides what to do.

“Doc, if it’s alright with you I want you to stay on the main island for now. At least until we figure out what’s happening to you,” Xisuma says in a way that was less request and more of a command.

“Understandable,” Doc answers as he stares at the fire slowly leaning closer to its brilliant warmth.

A knock at the door sounds a few minutes later and brought all four people inside out of their thoughts. A slightly upset Scar and a decidedly confused Ren are at the door.

“Sorry Scar,” Jevin says as he opens the door stifling laughter, “I thought X would tell you we moved.”

Xisuma flicks his tail in mock offense, “Don’t drag me into this,”

After a few tense moments, Scar waves it off. “What did you figure out?”

An intense staring contest with the fire later Doc finally looks up and tries to explain, “We think the meteor is trying to turn me back into a creeper. It's giving me different instincts and it made my tail grow back,”

“That’s unfortunately what’s most likely happening... Does instinct have anything to do with the fact that you’re leaning almost into the fire,” Scar deadpans as Ren rushes forward pulling Doc back a bit. Python looking up from his spot on the floor at Doc. His eyes narrow as he slowly comes to a realization.

Doc looking rather shook, slowly nods, “Yes, I think so. Didn’t even notice I was doing that honestly.”

Xisuma explains everything that had happened so far to Ren, who by that point was rather worried for Doc.

……………..

“How are you doing?” Ren asks as he sits down next to Doc. After they had left Jevin’s house, Ren, and Doc had made their way to the fantasy district and Ren’s palace. It had taken a bit off convincing to get Xisuma to allow Doc to go anywhere, but Ren was able to convince Xisuma.

“Not good,” Doc says curling up as small as possible, head almost reaching his feet.

“Care to elaborate?” Ren says rolling his eyes.

“No,”

“I won’t push, but I’m here if you want,” Ren says as he looks over at the creeper who was staring intently at the fingers on his non-robotic arm. “Oh, do you want to hear something kind of funny that happened last week?”

Doc looks up and over to Ren, sits for a moment then sits up so fast he falls off the couch, “Full moon! I completely forgot,”

“I’m taking that as a yes. Ok, so what happened was I was like half asleep when I changed and was a little confused. I somehow made my way to False’s base and scared the living daylights out of her,” Ren says half laughing as he helps Doc off the floor. “Man, what is up with your nails?”

After a few moments of silence, Doc answers, “Creepers have claws, the meteor is trying to get me as close to a creeper as it can so I think it’s making my nails grow as fast as possible to get them that sharp again,”

“How sharp do they get?”

“Jellie claws sharp,” Doc says as he pokes at the claws his little tail flicking a bit. He cracks a small smile at this remembering the number of times she had started chasing him.

“Dang, I had no idea that creepers have claws,”

“Most don’t know about that, creepers are incredibly shy and, well, tend to blow up if they feel threatened,’’

Ren’s ears lower pressing against his head, “Is that going to affect you, are you going to blow up?”

“Ren, look at me. I know you guys, you’re family, I won't be threatened. Even If I do explode I’ll be back, we do respawn,”

“Ok, I’m going to get some food you want some?” Ren asks as he heads into the kitchen.

“Yeah,” Doc calls back.

………………….

After Ren had left the room Doc sits looking rather confused for a few moments before slowly standing up and moving into the corner. He pulls out his communicator and opens it to the page that monitors his cybernetics. After a few long minutes, he gaps and throws the device away from himself. The screen had been opened a DNA page which showed the human DNA slowly blinking down from 70 percent.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If anyone has any requests please comment.
> 
> If you where wondering the percent of human DNA was 70 and doc was scared because it had moved down to 68 percent.


	3. In which Doc Traumatizes Tango

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I absolutely love the amount of creeper Doc fics that are going around right now.

“Doc! Doc. Can you hear me?” Ren shouts frantically trying to snap his friend out of the odd trance that he was in. Ren had come back from his kitchen with some apples and cooked chicken. When he had entered the sitting room to find Doc slumped agents the wall it sent him into a bit of a panic.

Doc slowly blinks gaze focusing on Ren. He gives a slight nod, freezing as Ren grabs his communicator. 

He looks at the screen for a moment reading it before saying, “What’s this? Doc, your human DNA is... disappearing?”

“Looks like,” Doc deadpans as he puts the device back in his pocket. 

“Hey, Are you ok you look really pale,” Ren asks, reaching down to help Doc off the floor.

Doc takes the offered hand pulling himself back to his feet. “Not sure, everything feels a little… off? I don’t know,” Doc looks down at his feet slowly scuffing at the ground. “I’m going outside,”

“Ok. You, come back here before it gets dark,” Ren calls after him, before laughing at himself for sounding like a mother hen. He watches Doc leave for a while then calls Xisuma and tells him what had happened with Doc.

………….

As Doc slowly made his way down the hill, lost in his thoughts he eventually ended up near the massive dragon skeleton. Without really thinking he climbs on top of the dragon and lies down on its skull. Basking in the fading afternoon light. He stays on the skull for quite a while as the sunsets before deciding that it would be much warmer if he went back to Ren’s place.

Half asleep Doc slides off the skull, he makes it a few steps before freezing at a sound behind him. He spins around hissing, stopping confused as the noise had merely come from a salmon that had breached the surface or the water. Cocking his head to the side he creeps up to the edge of the lake. The fish slowly swims back and forth in a lazy pattern. Doc carefully crouches staring intently at the fish following it with his eyes. The fish suddenly flipped around startling, Doc who jumps at the fish catching it. Before he could even comprehend what was happening the fish was in his mouth. And his head was tipped back to swallow better.

“Doc?” A voice asks from behind.

Doc freezes in place biting down on the poor fish that was sticking out of his mouth. He spins around to see Tango who is leaning over looking concerned. Doc swallows the fish, “Hey Tango, what can I do for you?”

“Um, Ren’s looking for you,” Tango says pursuing his lips and rocking back on his heels, “Are you ok?”

“Me, I’m ok?” Doc says blinking rapidly, still processing what happened, “I’ma go to Ren’s now.” As he wanders off in the general direction of Ren's house he leaves a very confused and slightly terrified Tango. 

…………..

“Where were you!” Ren yells as he storms in from looking for Doc. He had gotten the message from Tango that Doc was heading his way. Before he even had a chance to answer he continues, “I told you to get back here by sundown,”

“Sorry Mom,” Doc grumbles sarcastically before swaying slightly and tuning his tongue over his teeth. 

“What happened?”

Doc explains what had happened and where he had been. When he gets to the end of what had happened with the fish and when he swallowed it. Ren sits there slowly blinking at Doc slightly stunned.

“So… sorry I yelled at you, I was really worried.”

“It’s ok. I probably deserved it,”

“You probably don’t want food now?” Ren asks awkwardly trying to break the ice. 

Doc shakes his head, “I’m good. Where do you keep your extra blankets?”

“What? Oh, in the chest over by the fireplace,”

Ren watches as Doc takes the blankets and layers them into a sort of nest. He slowly walks around the newly constructed nest quietly hissing. Ren stands watching for a few minutes before leaving and heading for his bedroom.

……………

Doc walks around the nest a few times before laying down and curling up as tight as possible. He pulls his communicator out and opens it to the statistics page and looks at the human percentage which in the time he was out had fallen to 60 percent. 

Gently tossing the communicator away Doc falls into a restless sleep.

“Doc? Doc? I need you to get up!” Ren yells frantically shaking his friend. He had gotten up a bit late and had expected Doc to be up and doing something, but when he walked in Doc was still laying down asleep. At first, Ren just brushes it off but as the day progresses Ren starts to worry.

“Ren?” Doc hisses confused as he sits up.

“Doc, you good?” Ren asks frantically his ears laying flat against his head, tail curling around his waist.

“What?”

“You wouldn’t wake up, it’s almost diner time,” Ren explains ears perking up.

Doc sits for a moment then checks his communicator. “Well normally creepers are nocturnal, that might be what’s happening?”

“Ok, that sounds right. You mind telling me about what’s up with all my blankets?”

“Oh, sorry about that I was kind of out of it last night. But yeah, um creepers have nests that they sleep in,” Doc shrugs as he stands up stretching. “I’m going to go get some food,”

………………..

A few days later and the percentage of human DNA had seemed to have stabilized at 50 percent. 

“The changes that have affected Doc are Hissing, nocturnal behavior, only able to eat live animals, and basic creeper instincts,” Xisuma says as he adds the information about Doc to the list he had been making. “Am I missing anything?”

“He’s real temperature-sensitive oh and last night Doc was hanging out with a pack of creepers and they didn’t do anything to him,” Ren says as Bdubs slowly walks into the boardroom followed by Doc who doesn't look very happy at having to walk all the way to Sahara in the middle of the day. 

The meeting for Doc continues for a while before Scar flies in Jellie running after him. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Should I expand the series to include the guys who rejoined for season 7?


	4. Aww, Cats

Jellie pads her way into the room behind Scar, no one had noticed her entrance as there were more pressing matters at hand. The group of hermits who were discussing the meteors' effects on Doc, had asked if they could borrow the ConCorp meeting room. Cub and Scar easily agreed to let the discussion happen there.

“Doc, anything new to report?” Xisuma asks as he pulls up his admin screens taking a look at how the world would register Doc.

“No, not since the creepers didn’t try and attack me,”

“All right then, so we have nothing new to add to the list. Scar, has the meteor done anything notable?” Xisuma says lowering his screens to look over at his friends.

“It’s been emitting a little bit of smoke recently but other than that nothing.”

“That doesn’t sound good,” Bdubs says shaking his head as he leans over towards his old friend.

“No, it doesn’t my friend,” Xisuma whispers stretching out his tail behind him.

“Do you think that it means he’s going to explode?” Ren breaths ears flattening to his head and tail slowly curing up.

“I think so,” Doc says meeting eyes with Xisuma, “Does re-spawn still work?”

“Why wouldn’t it?” Ren asks tilting his head to the side.

“I don’t know if I’m still counted as a player,”

Xisuma inhales sharply reopening the page in his administration screen. “Um, one second,”

The hermits waited in silence while X looked through his screens hurriedly scanning through, the fur on his arms sticking up on end. “Found it!” Xisuma says suddenly making everyone jump.

“Don’t do that man,” Doc complains after nearly jumping.

“Sorry. Ok, Doc, it’s not registering you as a player but it’s registering you as a tamed creeper. I might be able to do something, Let me change this section of code and…, ok tamed animals will now respawn.”

“Like all of them?” Scar asks flicking his wings a bit.

“All of them, Jellie and the Jellie clones, other cats, the dogs, parrots, maybe horses,” As Xisuma says her name Jellie pokes her head onto the table and pads towards him.

As Jellie starts purring and rubbing her head against Xisuma’s arm she sees Doc who while area 77 was under construction and in use had become her favorite napping spot and happily pads over to him rubbing her face against his arm before moving to sit on his lap. Doc freezes the moment she touches his arm, slowly looking down at the cat who is making herself comfortable.

“Doc? Are you ok?” Ren asks concerned for his friend.

Doc looks up eyes wide, he opens his mouth to say something but all he manages is a quiet fearful hiss.

Now everyone, save Doc, was on their feet. “Jellie, come here,” Scar calls, “I have Jellie treats,” She picks her head up staring at Scar before putting her head back down on Doc’s leg.

“Doc, can you pick her up?” Bdubs says walking over to behind Doc’s chair.

Looking behind him Doc carefully nods shakily picking the cat up and setting her on the table. Once she was on the table Doc quickly stands up and backs into the wall. Jellie looking rather offended that her seat had moved runs after Doc chasing him into a water elevator. She stops before she gets wet and sits in front looking rather proud at here self for driving the creeper off.

“So, do you think he kept going?” Bdubs says as the rest are frozen in mild shock, “crap, what if he kept going!”

Bdubs runs after Doc and the others follow after at a slower pace.

……………...

Doc doesn’t even think before bolting to the water elevator, he just sees a way out and runs for it. Unfortunately in his terror, he had forgotten that there were Jellie clones scattered around the ConCorp grounds. He rounds a corner and sees the swarm of cats all staring at him.

**Docm77 blew himself up**

Just steps behind Bdubs expects to be caught in the blast but emerges unharmed. In fact, nothing around was even remotely damaged by the explosion.

Grian: RIP

ZombieCleo: oof

Cubfan135: you alright?

Docm77: I’m fine

Bdoubleo100: I got your stuff.

Docm77: Thank you, how much stuff got damaged?

GoodTimesWithScar: Nothing, everything is fine

Docm77: Sorry

RentheDog: you’re at my base right

Docm77: yeah

“So, at least we know respawn works,” Scar says as he flies up to land on Doc’s head.

Doc nods.

“Are you ok?” Bdubs asks sitting down next to him, “You haven’t spoken since we got back.”

Doc looks at his friends for a moment before pulling out his communicator. He slowly types out a few lines of text. ‘Since I re-spawned I haven’t been able to talk, only hiss.’ To make this clear Doc lets out a quiet mournful hiss.

Bdubs turns to look at Doc before whispering, “Is this like that one time in the jungle?”

Doc waits a few moments before nodding.

“He’ll be fine,”

“How, do you know?” Ren asks shifting his weight.

“Well, last season before I disappeared, one time Doc got really scared for us and he couldn’t talk for like two days,” Bdubs explains rubbing the back of his head.

“So this won’t last,” Xisuma confirms putting a few more notes into his chart.

“It’ll pass,”

………………….

As everyone leaves Doc pulls Bdubs to the side and softly hisses showing him a message on his communicator.

“Thanks for covering for you? Man, that thing was terrifying, no one expects to see a spider five times the normal size,”

At this Doc dissolves into hissing that was just hysterical laughter. This infected Bdubs and soon he was doubled over laughing.

………………………..

A few days later, Doc was almost back to being able to talk again, he would still hiss at a lot of things, but he was getting a lot better and he could talk for the most part. Xisuma had deemed this a good enough time to have a full server meeting to inform them of Doc’s problem. By this time most of the hermits had gathered in front of itrade, most of them confused why they were having the meeting as the sun was going down.

“Alright!” Bdubs yells getting everyone’s attention. “There you go X,”

“Thank you? Anyway, let’s get started. Doc has been affected by the meteor.” Xisuma pauses here to let the others whisper amongst themselves for a moment. “We all know he’s part creeper, the meteor has increased his creeper percentage to fifty. If you want more information ask him. We have a different topic to discuss right now. Who have we not heard from in a while? I went to visit Python yesterday and he was stuck without access to a communicator,”

The hermits discuss for a few minutes before Jevin speaks up, “Nobody has seen Wels in a few weeks,”

“Tomorrow morning go look for him,” Ex speaks up, as everyone tries to get up and find him at once. “If you don’t sleep now hostile mobs will spawn, and that can put him in more danger,”

“He’s right, go find him tomorrow,” Doc speaks up, holding his trident slung over his shoulders.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that's a rap folks, thank you for reading. Stay tuned for the next installment in the series.
> 
> If you have any suggestions please let me know.

**Author's Note:**

> I’ve had an unusual amount of motivation the last few days so have this. Please comment if you have any ideas for the other hermits.


End file.
